


A Rainy Evening

by aeronwyn



Category: Valdemar Series - Mercedes Lackey
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff, Hair Brushing, No Plot/Plotless, Rain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-13 17:44:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9134515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeronwyn/pseuds/aeronwyn
Summary: It's been raining for days in Haven, and Darkwind has finally given up on braving the storm in his ekele. Just a little something fluffy and cozy. (Maybe I'll change the rating and add another chapter sometime?)All characters, settings, & etc. belong to Mercedes Lackey.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so it's been what, 2 years? I feel like I can't even say that I post intermittently- I took a goddamn hiatus. Anyway, I whipped this up a few days ago and thought I'd post it. For all you Elspeth/ Darkwind folks.
> 
> As always, comments are more than welcome!

    Elspeth lay on the couch in her room, idly turning the pages of the latest historical novel that Talia had pressed into her hands (“oh it’s just fantastic! You have to read it!”).

   

    It was... all right.

 

    Certainly better than nothing on a quiet rainy evening—the third in a row, no less, with the kind of chilly winter rain that sunk into her bones and couldn’t be banished by a hot bath and a crackling fire. She’d made a few forays out to the Companions’ Stable to visit Gwena, but beyond that she barely left the Collegium and Palace complex. Darkwind, stubborn as ever, had refused Elspeth’s third offer of a warm bed and a non-leaky roof, and had spent the day huddled in his little ekele with Vree. “Suit yourself,” Elspeth had called up, holding her cloak tight against the wind, “you know where to find me.”

 

    A knock came at the door. With a sigh, Elspeth rose, leaving her book on the couch. When she opened the door, she saw a bedraggled Darkwind, swathed in a rain-darkened cloak, accompanied by a very, very wet Vree.

 

    “Hello, Brightfeather. Miss me today?” He spread his arms and moved toward Elspeth, who danced out of the way.

 

    “Oh no you don’t, you’re not coming anywhere near me in that state,” she said, with a little laugh. “Here, let me get you some dry clothes. They’ll fit well enough, I think. Oh, and towels…” She raided her closet and turned back to see Darkwind peeling off his wet garments, one by one. His boots were already unlaced and set on the hearth to dry. With a soft “thank you,” he took the proffered towel and began wringing out his hair. “Is your ekele all right, or did the roof finally give way?” she asked, setting a bathrobe and change of clothes on the couch, within Darkwind’s reach.

 

    “The roof is fine, and the windows—I think the charms will prevent any serious damage.” He bent over to spread his shirt out next to his boots. His back, still under a thin veneer of rainwater, glistened in the firelight. Elspeth allowed herself a brief, appreciative glance as the thunder rumbled overhead.

 

    “Well then, what brings you indoors?”

 

    “Is the charming face of my _ashke_ not reason enough?” He said with a little smirk, catching her arm as she walked by and pulling her a little closer. His fingers, cold against Elspeth’s skin, sent a variety of shivers down her spine. She couldn’t help but pause and meet his gaze, captivated for the hundredth time by the deep color of his eyes. Her lips curved upward in a little smile, and Darkwind smiled in reply, that shy smile he only brought forth on such occasions.

 

    _:Dry Vree?:_ The bondbird broke in—and if his posture hadn’t already alerted Elspeth to his mood, then his tone certainly would have. Darkwind’s mouth twitched, and Elspeth stifled a laugh. A seasoned, hardy bondbird Vree might be, but he was still unaccustomed to the dramatic winter rains that often overflowed Haven’s gutters and left puddles in the streets.

 

 _:I dry?:_ She offered, walking towards Vree’s perch with a small towel in her outstretched hands.

 

    _:Yes.:_ was the immediate reply. Vree had settled on his perch near the fireplace and was trying to preen himself, to no avail—he was simply too damp. Elspeth began patting and ruffling the soft feathers, trying to pretend that she wasn’t, out of the corner of her eye, watching Darkwind’s cold fingers fumble with the lacing of his breeches. _:Dry enough. Vree sleep.:_ Elspeth moved his perch into the nook beside the fireplace, as usual. There he could huddle up next to the warm chimney during the night, but still wake with the morning sun that shone through a nearby window. With a final ruffling of his feathers, Vree tucked his head under a wing and settled in.

 

    Elspeth turned back to see Darkwind tyings the winter-weight robe around his waist, hair gathered over one shoulder, still damp and tangled from the wind and rain. He smiled. “Well, can I come near you now?” He asked, even as she moved towards him in sock-clad feet.

 

    “You certainly may.” She felt his arms wrap around her, and even though some winter chill clung to his skin, the radiant heat of his body was no weaker than it was on summer nights. Darkwind’s light, earthy scent washed over her as he pressed cold lips to her forehead. They stood still and silent for a moment, drinking in the subtle comfort that came from holding one another. “Your hair’s still wet,” she said in an undertone, eyes still closed.

 

    “Yes, and it’s pretty well tangled, too.” Darkwind sighed and rubbed his palm up and down her back. Elspeth stepped back.

 

    “Here, come sit.” She gestured to a spot on the rug right in front of the fireplace. Mystified, but unquestioning, Darkwind complied. She bent down and kissed his temple. “Close your eyes,” she murmured, and crossed the room to her dresser. Darkwind heard her soft footsteps—already light by virtue of her training, and now further muffled by the carpet—and the crackle and pop of the firewood. Seated cross-legged, eyes closed, he fell almost automatically into a meditative daze, breathing deeply the air rich with the homey scents of fire, winter flowers in their tall vases, and the faint, ever so familiar aroma of Elspeth’s preferred soap.

 

    He didn’t notice when she first knelt behind him, but he did smile as she arranged his long tresses so that they fell down along his spine. With gentle hands, she squeezed out the worst of the water, and then took up the comb, slowly putting to rights each knot and tangle. When Elspeth had his hair combed and mostly dry—thanks in part to the heat of the fire—she began running her fingers through it, from his temples, all the way down the ends just below his shoulder blades. Darkwind sighed, relishing the feeling of his beloved’s hands running through his hair; skating along his neck and shoulders; trailing down to rub little circles in the small of his back, just where he always seemed to carry the worst of his tension and stress; then ghosting up his sides to begin again. At long last, Elspeth took the dark hair in her hands and divided it neatly in three. She began braiding, smoothing each lock and tucking in the forgotten strands, admiring the silvery glint of his mage-whitened hair. After securing the braid with a small piece of cord, she laid a gentle kiss on the top of Darkwind’s head.

 

    “There we are, now,” Elspeth murmured, bringing her hands to rest on her lover’s shoulders. Darkwind turned his head and kissed her fingertips.

 

    “Ah… Thank you, dearest. That was wonderful.”

 

    “My pleasure.” Elspeth smiled and sat down beside him. His arm instinctively wrapped around her waist, holding her snug against his side as they gazed at the dwindling fire. Outside, the rain continued beating against the windows, and the thunder rumbled on, and the shutters trembled in the wind. Inside, silvery hair shone in the firelight, and warm hands moved slowly across bodies.


End file.
